Hero of 2016 Nice attack felt no fear, but struggles with guilt

Franck Terrier said he felt no fear at the time. (AFP)
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Updated 03 September 2022
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Hero of 2016 Nice attack felt no fear, but struggles with guilt

NICE: The Frenchman who tried single-handedly to stop a truck that mowed down dozens of people six years ago in the port city of Nice says he felt no fear at the time, but can’t help wondering whether a quicker reaction could have saved lives.

Franck Terrier, an airport worker and father of two, took his wife out to the Promenade des Anglais on his scooter to get ice cream on the night of July 14, 2016, joining thousands of others enjoying the Bastille Day fireworks.

“Suddenly a truck overtook me on the right,” Terrier said in an interview in the run-up to the trial on Monday of suspects linked to the attack by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian, who drove a truck into the crowd, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more. “I dropped my wife off, and decided to go after him,” Terrier said. “It was a reflex,” said Terrier, who flung his scooter at the truck’s wheels in an unsuccessful attempt to force the powerful vehicle to stop.

“I felt no fear,” he said. “I wanted to get into the cabin, I fought (with the attacker), I held on to the cabin. He tried to shoot me, a round went off but missed. In the struggle I took a blow to the head and I fell, but got back up.”

President Emmanuel Macron decorated Terrier with France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honour, a year later, an expression of the nation’s gratitude for his daring action.

Yet Terrier, now 55, can’t shake the feeling that perhaps he could have done more.

“The worst thing is to face the victims’ families, because I keep having this feeling that I didn’t do enough,” he said. “Maybe
I could have acted faster.”

BACKGROUND

President Emmanuel Macron has decorated Franck Terrier with France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honour — an expression of the nation’s gratitude for his daring action.

Terrier said he is aware that such thoughts are irrational and he understands that “with hindsight, I couldn’t have done more.”

But, he said, “there’s always a feeling of guilt because 86 people died.”

The attacker died in a shootout with police while Terrier, exhausted, leaned against the truck’s front wheel.

Police, assuming that Terrier had been in on the attack, roughed him up at first, but “when I managed to talk to them, they understood what had happened.”

Terrier, who had been chief runway manager at Nice’s airport for 30 years, never returned to that post and is now employed by city hall.

He has low expectations for the trial that is to examine the possible role of people close to Lahouaiej-Bouhlel in the attack, including those who sold him weapons.

“I don’t think there will be enough evidence against the people who were arrested. But still, it will be a chance to tell the story,” he said.

Terrier said he will not attend any screening of CCTV footage retracing the truck’s murderous itinerary at the trial. “I don’t have the strength,” he said.

He never refers to the attacker by name. “For me, people who commit such acts are not human, so I feel no hatred or anything else, just incomprehension,” he said.

His life “has returned to a semblance of normality”, Terrier said, “but I will never be able to turn the page, I will remember this all my life. I just hope that, over time, I will feel better.”


54 migrants rescued from Mediterranean oil platform

The Open Arms vessel: rescuing migrants and refugees at sea. (Supplied)
Updated 10 sec ago
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54 migrants rescued from Mediterranean oil platform

  • On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before

ROME: Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.
The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people, the group said in a statement.
The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.
On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before.
Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said.
Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.
That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which street artist Banksy sponsors.
The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.
It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.
As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR.

 


Two charged with murder after death of Yemeni teenager in Sheffield hit-and-run

Updated 39 min 33 sec ago
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Two charged with murder after death of Yemeni teenager in Sheffield hit-and-run

  • Victim’s family said teenager had come to UK from Yemen in hope of a better future

LONDON: Two men have been charged with murder after a 16-year-old boy died in an alleged hit-and-run in Sheffield last week, it was reported on Sunday.

Zulkernain Ahmed and Amaan Ahmed have also been charged with three counts of attempted murder following the death of Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al-Yazidi, South Yorkshire Police said.

Al-Yazidi’s family said the teenager had come to the UK from Yemen three months ago, hoping for a better future. He had been learning English ahead of starting college in September and was described as someone who would “light up their faces with a big smile.”

He was walking along the road in Darnall on Wednesday when he was struck by a grey Audi.

Police believe the car first hit the rider of an electric bike before continuing on and hitting Al-Yazidi. He later died in hospital from his injuries.

An 18-year-old man riding the e-bike was seriously injured but is expected to recover.

The two suspects are due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

A 46-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, remain on bail.

Saleh Alsirkal, a relative who runs a shop in Darnall, said Al-Yazidi had dropped in shortly before the collision, after attending a hospital appointment.

“He was a kind boy,” he told the BBC. “He just wanted to look after his family. His dad brought him over to change his life, to get a better future for his son, but this has happened and destroyed everything.”

Local councillor Qais Al-Ahdal said the teen was widely liked and respected in the area.

“We’ve really lost someone who is good in the community,” he said. “Praised by everyone unanimously, he was a really good kid. May God have mercy on his soul,” adding that the Darnall community was united in grief.


Wagner replaced by Russia’s Africa Corp. in Mali: diplomatic sources

Updated 08 June 2025
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Wagner replaced by Russia’s Africa Corp. in Mali: diplomatic sources

  • Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, broke off ties with former colonial power France and pivoted toward Russia for political and military support
  • Mali has never officially admitted Wagner’s presence, insisting it only worked with Russian instructors

DAKAR: The Russian paramilitary group Wagner has left Mali and its units there have been taken over by the Moscow-run Africa Corps, diplomatic and security sources told AFP on Sunday.
“Officially, Wagner is no longer present in Mali. But the Africa Corps is stepping up,” one diplomatic source in the Sahel region said.
A Telegram account affiliated with Wagner said: “Mission accomplished. PMC Wagner is going home.”
Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, broke off ties with former colonial power France and pivoted toward Russia for political and military support.
Wagner, Russia’s best-known mercenary group, was disbanded and restructured after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023 following a short-lived rebellion against Moscow.
Mali has never officially admitted Wagner’s presence, insisting it only worked with Russian instructors.

Wagner yesterday or Africa Corps today, our point of contact remains the same, it is the central power in Russia, that is to say the Kremlin

Malian security source

France withdrew its 2,400 troops from Mali in 2022 after ties with the junta soured and anti-French sentiment surged among the public.
“The Kremlin remains in control,” the same diplomatic source added.
“Most of the Wagner personnel in Mali, who are originally from Russia, will be reintegrated into Africa Corps and remain in northern regional capitals and Bamako.”
The Africa Corps is another paramilitary group with links to the Kremlin and seen as the successor to the Wagner group. Like Wagner, its mercenaries are active supporting several African governments.
For over three years, Mali had relied on Wagner in its fight against jihadists who have killed thousands across the country.
“Wagner yesterday or Africa Corps today, our point of contact remains the same, it is the central power in Russia, that is to say the Kremlin,” a Malian security source said Sunday.
The paramilitary group’s brutal methods on the ground in Mali have been regularly denounced by human rights groups.
A UN report accused Mali’s army and foreign fighters of executing at least 500 people during a March 2022 anti-jihadist sweep in Moura — a claim denied by the junta.
Western governments believe the foreign fighters were Wagner mercenaries.
Last April, bodies were discovered near a Malian military camp, days after the army and Wagner paramilitaries arrested dozens of civilians, most from the Fulani community.
Wagner’s withdrawal comes amid what the Malian army calls a “resurgence““of jihadist attacks, including two assaults that killed dozens of soldiers and forced troops to abandon a key central base.
A European diplomatic source in the Sahel believes Africa Corps will probably do “much more training of Malian soldiers than Wagner did.”
“Although Wagner claims that its operations and support strengthened the Malian army, Africa Corps will need to continue training and support, especially after the recent wave of attacks against the FAMA (Malian Armed Forces),” said Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies.


National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles on Trump’s orders to quell immigration protests

Updated 08 June 2025
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National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles on Trump’s orders to quell immigration protests

  • In recent days, clashes between between federal immigration authorities and protesters seeking to block them from carrying out deportations erupted in Los Angeles
  • Trump has said he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests

LOS ANGELES: National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles early Sunday on orders from President Donald Trump in response to clashes in recent days between federal immigration authorities and protesters seeking to block them from carrying out deportations.
Members of California’s National Guard were seen staging early Sunday at the federal complex in downtown Los Angeles that includes the Metropolitan Detention Center, one of several sites that have seen confrontations involving hundreds of people in last two days.
The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a social media post from the Department of Defense that showed dozens of National Guard members with long guns and an armored vehicle.
Trump has said he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called “a form of rebellion.”
Early Sunday, the deployment was limited to a small area in downtown Los Angeles. The protests have been relatively small and limited to a downtown section. The rest of the city of 4 million people is largely unaffected.
Their arrival follows clashes near a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles. As protesters sought to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement, federal agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.
Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100. A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement.
On Sunday morning, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the National Guard would “keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order.”
In a signal of the administration’s aggressive approach, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened to deploy active-duty Marines “if violence continues” in the region.
The move came over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Newsom, a Democrat, said Trump’s decision to call in the National Guard was “purposefully inflammatory.” He described Hegseth’s threat to deploy Marines on American soil as “deranged behavior.”
Trump’s order came after clashes in Paramount and neighboring Compton, where a car was set on fire. Protests continued into the evening in Paramount, with several hundred demonstrators gathered near a doughnut shop, and authorities holding up barbed wire to keep the crowd back.
Crowds also gathered again outside federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles, including a detention center, where local police declared an unlawful assembly and began to arrest people.


Outrage as pro-Palestine protester to spend 21 months in prison before trial

Updated 08 June 2025
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Outrage as pro-Palestine protester to spend 21 months in prison before trial

  • William Plastow, 34, took part in a demonstration against Israeli weapons firm’s factory last year
  • He was given a trial date of April 2026 over charges of criminal damage, violent disorder, aggravated burglary

LONDON: The mother of a British man charged over a protest against an Israeli weapons firm has voiced outrage over the expected 21-month imprisonment of her son before his trial, The Guardian reported.

William Plastow, a 34-year-old resident of Manchester, is accused of taking part in a Palestine Action demonstration against a factory in Bristol owned by Elbit Systems.

The protest, which took place in August last year, involved 17 others. The group has been dubbed the “Filton 18.”

Plastow, a script editor, has denied charges of criminal damage, violent disorder and aggravated burglary relating to the demonstration.

Six of the 18, including Plastow, who are all being held in prison, have been given a trial date of April next year.

Defendants should not spend more than six months in jail while awaiting trial, according to custody time limit guidelines.

By the time of Plastow’s expected trial, he will have served the equivalent of a sentence of more than five years, based on new sentencing rules that allow the release of convicted criminals who have served one-third of their sentences.

Jane Plastow, his mother, said the case might set a record for the longest time anyone has been held in prison awaiting trial on protest charges in Britain.

The 66-year-old, an academic, said: “It’s outrageous, it’s terrible. Will is a kind of glass-half-empty guy, so he tends toward (believing in) the worst possible outcome.

“Every day, which has become a kind of ritual, I have to say: ‘Yes, you are going to get out of there, this is not the end of your life. They are not going to be able to keep you in for years and years and years.’ Because you just obviously feel so helpless and hopeless locked up in that place.”

In a prison diary published in Inside Time, Plastow revealed he had suffered suicidal thoughts.

He was denied bail despite agreeing to a slew of measures designed to limit his behavior, including wearing an electronic tag, having his phone and passport confiscated, and submitting regular police reports on his activity.

The judge responsible for the decision said Plastow posed a risk of breaking the law again, his mother said.

“What you’re being required to prove is a negative — well, you can never prove the negative, can you?” she said. “You can’t prove that you’re not going to do anything.”

Plastow’s artner of a decade, Valentina Tschismarov, said: “I think the worst that I have personally seen him was when his bail application was denied, which obviously was really disheartening for all of us. Shortly afterward myself and his mum went to visit him together and I was very worried at that point because he was really shaken, just out of it.

“Even on the phone in the weeks after that, he just sounded very distant and kind of broken down. It seems incredibly disproportionate. I always imagined that there were these protections in place and you couldn’t just have somebody jailed without a conviction for these amounts of time.

“I think people are not really aware.”

The 18 protesters arrested at the Elbit facility last year were initially arrested under the Terrorism Act, meaning they could be held for 14 days without charge.

However, despite the Crown Prosecution Service saying the protest held a “terrorism connection,” none of the 18 have been charged with terror offenses.